Should I Move To
Mission Viejo, California comes in at about 93,233 residents. Cost of living comes out very expensive — 39% above the national average. Rent typically lands near $2,622/mo, and the median household income is about $136,570. Overall, 41/100 on our composite score, which works out to a D, putting it at #769 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 139 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very expensive territory. With median rent at $2,622/mo and median household income at $136,570, housing takes about 23% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $883,600.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect hot-summer weather — summers near 103°F, winters around 37°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 4 inches annually. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests. Crime numbers are reassuringly low here, well under the typical US city. AQI is in the moderate range at about 50.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Mission Viejo is a tougher sell for families. The profile-weighted score is 46/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is safety (89/100); the soft spot is affordability (3/100).
Mission Viejo is a tougher sell for retirees. The profile-weighted score is 31/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is safety (89/100); the soft spot is affordability (3/100).
Mission Viejo is a tougher sell for remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 25/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is safety (89/100); the soft spot is affordability (3/100).
Mission Viejo is a tougher sell for young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 47/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is safety (89/100); the soft spot is affordability (3/100).
Our overall score for Mission Viejo is 41/100 — a D, sitting at #769 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Mission Viejo sits at 139 — very expensive, 39% above the national average. Median renter pays around $2,622 a month.
Mission Viejo runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 103°F, winter's near 37°F; 4 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 43/100. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests.
Roughly 93,233 people live here, with 51% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 46.
Drop Mission Viejo into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Mission Viejo with other California cities scored on UrbRank.
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